diff --git a/blog/lenovo-x201-with-linux.mdwn b/blog/lenovo-x201-with-linux.mdwn new file mode 100644 index 00000000..73d1ec5b --- /dev/null +++ b/blog/lenovo-x201-with-linux.mdwn @@ -0,0 +1,194 @@ +[!meta title="Linux on the Lenovo X201"]] + +## Introduction + +The Lenovo X201, the successor of the X200, has arrived on my desk for some +days. Every new personal computer makes me think about which Linux distribution +to choose. + +### Requirements + +I started with a list of aspects a good distribution would handle well: + + * Straighforward and automatic installation + * Support for crypted home, swap and probably even the root filesystem + * Good package management + * New packages (Linux > 2.6.18 for instance...) + * Easy to integrate own packages into + * Either via an own mirror or into the main distribution + * Good documentation + * Friendly and helpful community + +After some minutes thinking about the requirements, I've been aware +that testing all those aspects, and defining them properly, takes more +time than to just give the usual suspects a try. + +## Debian + +### Lenny via fai + +As I'm running Debian here in the [[eth]], my first approach +was to netinstall Debian via fai, which failed with a kernel panic, +because it could not find the root device. + +This is normally an indicator, that the network card is unknown, +but debugging it from a netinstall is not so easy, why I decided +to give the installation from an usb stick a try. + +### Lenny via usb stick + +Firstly I put the Debian Lenny Installer 5.0.2 via + + zcat ~nico/boot.img.gz > /dev/sdd + +onto the usb stick. Booting the installer worked, but +it did not find any network interface, either. + +Well, we all know that Lenny, as being Debian stable currently, +is almost outdated when it's released, so let's give Debian +testing a chance. + +### Squeeze + +I remember that installing Debiang testing means to retrieve +the installer from some subpage on [debian.org](http://www.debian.org), +that contains the **debian-installer**. As usual, it cannot be easily +found by selecting the usual interesting links on debian.org. + +A [search via google for debian installer](http://www.google.com/search?q=debian%20installer] +resulted in the +[correct link for the debian installer](http://www.debian.org/devel/debian-installer/). + +It has been alarming that the +[same search on debian.org](http://search.debian.org/cgi-bin/omega?P=debian+installer&DEFAULTOP=or&HITSPERPAGE=10&language=en) does *not* result in the correct result on the first +result page! + +Using the +[Debian Squeeze Alpha1 release](http://ftp.nl.debian.org/debian/dists/testing/main/installer-amd64/current/images/hd-media/boot.img.gz) of the debian installer resulted in a +funny, though not very productive installation: + + * When selecting the language English, country Switzerland, the + locale ch_DE.UTF-8 not selectable! + * The Keymap [Neo 2.0](http://www.neo-layout.org/) not in list of available layouts. + * The installer cannot find the iso (Well, there's none, it was started from an usb stick...) + * "Detect network hardware" did not find any ethernet card. + +Ok, no Debian for the X201 currently. + +## Ubuntu + +I am currently running Ubuntu on the X200, so giving it a try +on the X201, too. + +### 9.10 Beta2 + +Beta2 is out, what's more loved than early betas and alphas? + +I was trying to write the ISO (!) to a usb stick via **usb-creator-gtk**, +which fails with the following kernel messages: + + [1320073.833304] end_request: I/O error, dev sdd, sector 0 + [1320073.845771] sd 72:0:0:0: [sdd] Device not ready + [1320073.845777] sd 72:0:0:0: [sdd] Result: hostbyte=DID_OK driverbyte=DRIVER_SENSE + [1320073.845786] sd 72:0:0:0: [sdd] Sense Key : Not Ready [current] + [1320073.845795] sd 72:0:0:0: [sdd] Add. Sense: Medium not present + [1320073.845804] end_request: I/O error, dev sdd, sector 0 + [1320073.845829] unable to read partition table + +Writing to a SD-Card however worked (although: reproducing that made +usb-creator-gtk more often fail than succeed). + +Happily I can select the Neo 2.0 keyboard layout during the installation, +but not encrypt volumes in the desktop installer, because it's only +supported with the alternate installation, which I think is a major fault: + + + Dear Ubuntu developers, include encryption via dm-crypt/cryptsetup + into your desktop installation, please. + The enhanced privacy is worth the added complexity! + +The installer detected the network card and after the reboot wireless +lan was working perfectly within the installed gnome desktop. And as +a extra bonus for me, also real transparency of terminals was working! + +On the other hand, I've a shiny new Ubuntu installation which is probably +not really what I want: I never use gnome and gdm is fine, but not really +needed. + +But well, the main reason to give another distribution a try, is that +there's a new kid on the block: + +## Archlinux + +Archlinux was brought to my attention some time ago, as it is +the first distribution, that includes [[ccollect|software/ccollect]] +(not in the main, but aur repo). + +Having a look at archlinux, there are some points that straightly coming +to attention: + + * Arch is x86 only (32 and 64 bit, though) + * It does not use .rpm, nor .deb packages + (Slackware users, do you feel reminded? :-) + * KISS (keep it simple and stupid) + * At least one distribution understands why others have so many problems. + * Least changes to upstream packages possible + +The last point is a very interesting one for +[[me, as a FOSS developer|about/foss]], because it ensures that +problems are reported back to me and not corrected elsewhere. + + Dear arch developers, thanks for that decision! + +For more information, have a look at +[The Arch Way](http://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/The_Arch_Way). + +### 2009.08 + +Once again, written the installer to an usb stick, booting +and - guessed it - the installer does not detect the network interface. + +Ok, there must be something like Debian testing, some kind +of snapshot, daily or whatever release. + +### 2010-04-05 testing image + +After I had been searching around, I found +[an entry in the the forum](http://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php?pid=739859) +and got a hint on [IRC](irc://irc.freenode.org/#archlinux) that +there are [testing ISO images](http://build.archlinux.org/isos/) +available. + +The interesting thing is, the iso image can be copied +directly to an usb stick, because grub is being used! + +The installer detected the network card and I gave +the auto prepare disk setup a chance, which creates partitions for + + * /boot (ext2!), + * swap, + * / and + * /home. + +Interesting, but not what I would choose, as there no need for +/boot on x86 for a long time +([see lba32 option for lilo](http://www.google.com/url?q=lilo%20 lba32)). +It also warned me, after I recreated the partition table, that there +is no /boot partition. + + Dear arch developers, why do you depend so much on /boot? + +But in general, the arch installer can be used straightforwarded and +it says what it does (really like that). The encryption support is +a bit strange, as it does not prepare the crypttab config, which +could easibly be integrated into the installer. + +Arch has an easy integration of crypttab into the boot process, +but there are two drawbacks: + + * Arch does not support Neo 2.0 keyboard layout + * And the keyboar layout is loaded ***after*** I was asked for the + passphrase of the crypted devices. + +At the end, Archlinux installed fine on the X201 and I keep on using +it, to give the distribution in general a try.